Shauna is almost done watching season three of Bridgerton and its weirdly-paced main romance, but is more excited about The Fourth Wing, a new book by author Rebecca Yaros – and so is Olivia who has been encouraging her to read this book about horny humans and dragons. (The humans are horny, not the dragons… probably). Olivia is still watching a lot of airline content, somehow managing to binge all of the Kristen Wiig murder mystery series Palm Royale. Since she really wants a second season, she...
Jul 11, 2024•47 min•Season 5Ep. 145
Shauna and Olivia have been busy lately: Shauna had a sober (*wink*) housewarming party and Olivia took a trip to San Francisco where she drank Martinis in the Castro. But did they make time to binge on pop culture? Of course - they're Junkies! Shauna wants to talk about JoJo Siwa's predilection for poppers and Colin from Bridgerton 's lip flip. She also declares her love for the Ghost concert movie - a must-see, if you like Ghost. Olivia is ready to spoil the most recent (at the time of recordi...
Jul 04, 2024•37 min•Season 5Ep. 144
It is seriously hot outside now, so the Junkies are indulging in all their streaming obsessions now. For Shauna, that means The Boys , which returned with a scene that even made Shauna clutch her pearls. Then Olivia tries to talk about Bridgerton without too many spoilers, in case you, like Shauna, aren’t as far into the episode list as she is. House of the Dragon has also recently returned, and that prompts Olivia to look into the history, magic and lore behind not only HotD, but also Game of T...
Jun 27, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 5Ep. 143
Nicole has decided to fly off into the great blue yonder, so this is her farewell episode (for now, we hope!) The two OG Junkies (Nicole and Shauna) reminisce about the early days of the podcast. like how they met in an escape room, recorded in a noisy, crowded restaurant at first, and got to appear on live (to tape) TV! Then Nicole, Olivia and Shauna talk about a subject near and dear to Nicole’s heart: sports movies! The Junkies confirm that movies about cheerleading (and possible threesomes) ...
Jun 20, 2024•35 min•Ep. 142
Olivia has been globe-trotting (nation-trotting?) nearly as much as Nicole these days, but she has had time to binge season 3 of Regency-era sex-sation Bridgerton (and do her laundry). Nicole is still on a thriller book-kick, devouring Nerves of Steel about pilot Tammie Jo Shults and her daring emergency landing, and she and Shauna both consumed some Glen Powell content recently. Somehow that leads to a vote on which anthropormorphic rodent is the hottest, and sorry to say, but Glen came in last...
Jun 13, 2024•44 min•Season 5Ep. 141
The Junkies discuss what they are looking forward to as summer approaches. Shauna is looking forward to having two functional feet again, and also some of her pop culture wishes to come true, like new Marvel content - chiefly, the new Agatha All Along series. The only Agatha that Olivia cares about is Agatha Christie, but she's always thinking about reading. Speaking of books, Nicole is looking forward to the new TJ Newman book, and if you don't know who TJ Newman is, Nicole will tell you all ab...
Jun 06, 2024•42 min•Season 5Ep. 140
The Junkies return to Phoenix Fan Fusion, this time to record a live episode that takes them back to that most controversial – and fun – topic of conspiracy theories. This time Olivia and Shauna are helped by the audience, who tell us shocking information about Hailey Bieber, and slightly less shocking information about Margot Robbie. But first, why do conspiracy theories, pop culture or otherwise, exist? What human needs do they fulfill? And why can’t Lea Michelle read? Shauna and Olivia cover ...
May 30, 2024•52 min•Season 5Ep. 139
The Junkies welcome back friend-of-the-pod and honorary Junkie Brad Perry to the show, and though it has been two years since Brad was last on the show, it seems like no time has passed. Unlike Shauna, Olivia is meeting Brad for the first time on this episode, but they become instant friends. Brad, known best in the Phoenix area as the Emmy Award-winning host of The Daily Mix morning show, is truly a multi-hyphenate. He hosts his own podcast, Things Men Don’t Talk About , he’s working on produci...
May 23, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Season 5Ep. 138
Nicole or, as Shauna and Olivia dub her, Australian Barbie, has finally returned from the other side of the world and has such stories to tell. Spoiler alert: none of those stories are about LARPing, but her vacation might make you jealous! Speaking of vacations, what better time than now to talk about vacation movies? The Junkies discuss what makes the perfect vacay flick, and why they never seem to be about vacations that go perfectly. And in fact, many of the movies discussed are straight up ...
May 16, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Season 5Ep. 137
Junkie Emeritus Hayley the Brave joins Olivia and Shauna for a reunion episode and though Hayley and Olivia have only just met, they instantly bond over the new Taylor Swift album. Shauna also has opinions on Tortured Poets Department, and the three debate which songs are (among) their favorites. Then Hayley brings up the topic she came here to discuss: Television spinoffs. A devoted fan of The X-Files , Hayley’s not sure how to feel about Ryan Coogler’s upcoming spinoff/reboot, but as they say ...
May 09, 2024•52 min•Season 5Ep. 136
Shauna wants to add LARPing to her nerd repertoire - hey, is that what Nicole is out doing now? Probably not. Olivia is still in her Taylor era - not surprising as this is the time to indulge in all things Swift and Shauna's been using a SIMS game to bring back The Spice Girls. Then the two talk about the X-Men movies and Shauna's impersonation of the week is Rogue, as performed by Dolly Parton. It's really something. Then Olivia wants to talk about separating the art from the artist when the ar...
May 02, 2024•47 min•Season 5Ep. 135
Shauna and Olivia are still running the show without Nicole, who went on a fabulous vacay but forgot to invite the other Junkies! Still, there's plenty to do here in Phoenix, like consuming pop culture! Shauna has been enjoying X-Men '97 and Next Level Chef with Gordon Ramsay, and she watched Total Recall for the very first time. Did you know there's a girl with three boobs in that? Olivia is still lost to the fae, currently reading A Court of Frost and Starlight , which is the 'Christmas Specia...
Apr 25, 2024•39 min•Season 5Ep. 134
Nicole gets the Junkies thinking about traveling, and while Olivia plans to escape the oppressive Arizona temps this summer, Shauna will enjoy the hot hot heat poolside. As for Nicole, she'll soon be sailing to the other side of the International Date Line, where her today will be our tomorrow. Then the talk turns to movies, specifically movie sets. With an imaginary time (and place) machine, Shauna wills herself to the set of Blade (1998), where she participates in the Goth nightclub scene that...
Apr 18, 2024•39 min•Season 5Ep. 133
Shauna goes solo this week to interview award-winning indie writer/director/producer Ansel Faraj, whose film The Great Nick D is now on the festival circuit. Ansel tells Shauna about his pop culture heritage, and how it inspired his body of work. Though he’s based in Los Angeles, he’s no nepo baby – but even without connections he’s been able to fulfill his dream of making films. Ansel and Shauna talk about his last movie, Todd Tarantula (which Shauna loved!) now streaming on Tubi, as well as hi...
Apr 11, 2024•43 min•Season 5Ep. 132
The Junkies reveal their latest obsessions, which for Nicole is March Madness, for Olivia is reading the first book in a fantasy series and then waiting impatiently for the next book to be written, and for Shauna it is reliving the glorious return to classic animation that is X-Men ’97 . There is also some NSFW discussion about “knotting” so consider yourself warned. Then the Junkies detail the highs of Jennifer Lopez’s career in contrast to where it sits now, after she released This Is Me…Now ,...
Apr 04, 2024•38 min•Season 5Ep. 131
This week, Shauna tells the Junkies about the series Shogun , and that she’s been to Japan twice, not that she’s bragging. Olivia gives us all the horrifying details from the Nickelodeon and Dan Schneider expose series Quiet on the Set (and here’s a trigger warning because it includes sexual violence against children), and Nicole goes up to bat with a review of The Hill , a baseball movie starring Dennis Quaid. Then it’s time to dish on each Junkie’s pick for the most chaotic celebrity breakup i...
Mar 28, 2024•53 min•Season 5Ep. 130
The Junkies briefly ponder the Unsolved Mystery of “What Happened to Kate Middleton?”, but out of respect to PCJ superfan King Charles III, the topic swerves to the umpteenth season of Survivor, and addictive reality shows in general. Then Shauna endeavors to explain the Dune universe to Nicole and Olivia, but how do you adequately explain Spice? Then the Junkies plan a sleepover to watch Dune and the perfect companion movies, American Mary and High School Musical , and emphasize that this will ...
Mar 21, 2024•48 min•Season 5Ep. 129
This week, the Junkies catch up and find that Nicole is still a Ride-or-Die for Law and Order: SVU , even though the romance between Stabler and Benson hasn’t moved any closer to Smoochtown; Olivia binged a 55 part-TikTok series about a pathological liar, then tries to make Shauna think she doesn’t know who Gordon Ramsey is; and Shauna humblebrags that she has layers, like an onion, or an ogre, which will come as no surprise to any government agency that’s monitoring her Google searches. Then th...
Mar 14, 2024•1 hr•Season 5Ep. 128
The Pop Culture Junkies are back and better than ever! The post-holiday break is over, and the Junkies tell each other what they’ve been up to since last they met. Find out how Nicole has a conduit directly to heaven, why Shauna is the Promise Ring Queen, and the details behind Olivia’s emotional breakdown over a fantasy book series. So relatable. Then the Junkies dive into the magic that is TikTok: an app that gives you a hit of dopamine that turns off the part of your brain that tells you no, ...
Mar 07, 2024•39 min•Season 5Ep. 127
Shauna may be obsessed with the end of the world (movies, that is), but Olivia is not giving up until she gets the other Junkies hooked on her new fave book series involving the Fey (look for it on our next PCJ book club episode), and Nicole skipped the book and went straight to the movie based on the ‘Hunger Games’ prequel. Then the talk turned to Christmas movies, but not the kind where a big-city gal falls for a sweater-wearing down-home hunk. No, this episode is all about killer Santas, kill...
Dec 14, 2023•49 min•Season 4Ep. 126
Olivia, Shauna and Nicole began reviewing the Britney Spears memoir The Woman in Me in our last episode, but there was so much to say that we made it a two-parter. This time The Junkies talk about Britney’s fight against mental illness, tabloid journalism and the paparazzi, and her troubled marriage to Kevin Federline, which was bad enough – but things were about to get worse. The Junkies cover everything like the notorious head-shaving incident, the “Free Britney” movement, and of course her co...
Nov 30, 2023•39 min•Season 4Ep. 125
The inaugural episode of the Pop Culture Junkie Book Club features (what else?) Britney Spears’ memoir The Woman in Me . Olivia, Shauna and Nicole read the eye-opening true story of The Princess of Pop, and they have a lot to say about Britney’s revelations – so much so that this is the first of two episodes covering the book. In this episode, we start with Spears’ humble origins in Kentwood, LA, to her entrance into pop culture via The Mickey Mouse Club and Star Search , to her meteoric rise to...
Nov 23, 2023•50 min•Season 4Ep. 125
It's nearly Halloween, and while Shauna and Olivia have thought out their costumes - sexy Freddy Krueger and Sexy Ghostface - but Nicole still needs some ideas. The Junkies vow to each try on a bald cap, a la Dr. Evil, but to share the same one, a la The Sisterhood of the Traveling Bald Cap. Somehow they make it make sense. On a more serious note, the Junkies then talk about the Final Girl and Scream Queen horror tropes, the symbolic and cultural influence of these horror heroes, and list some o...
Oct 26, 2023•54 min•Season 4Ep. 124
The Junkies have been very busy lately, what with new day jobs, trips to Miami and event planning, but they still have time to bing pop culture. Nicole is still enjoying Only Murders in the Building , as is Shauna, so Olivia decides to give in to peer pressure and vows to catch up on the hit show. Shauna is still down with And Just Like That , with all its flaws, and is loving The Bear , which is flawless, and Olivia is back on the Twilight train. Speaking of trains...well, travel, the Junkies i...
Sep 21, 2023•50 min•Season 4Ep. 123
After detailing their very busy schedules, (including an impromptu trip to see a Taylor Swift concert) and a look at what’s up with Lizzo, and Ariana Grande, Olivia, Nicole and Shauna keep it musical by paying homage to their favorite under-the-radar bands. If you’ve never heard of ASTON, Troye Sivan, Haru Nemuri, Ktlyn, Maggie Rogers, Drake Milligan, INJI, Lil Mariko, Caroline Polachek, Zach Bryan, Twin Temple, Lainey Wilson, Marlon Craft, CIL, or Rico Nasty, well, now you have. And you’re welc...
Aug 31, 2023•53 min•Season 4Ep. 122
The Junkies set the menu for their final meals should they ever end up on death row – which would never happen, of course – and they are all elaborate combinations of fine dining and fast food. Then, the discussion turns to (where else) true crime, and Nicole, Shauna and Olivia talk about the best documentaries and movies about real-life murders. They also discuss the phenomenon of serial killer groupies, the obvious disparity in which victims get media coverage, and the ethics of presenting the...
Aug 17, 2023•50 min•Season 4Ep. 121
Hi Barbies! This episode, The Junkies talk about the Barbenheimer phenomenon, even though only one of them managed to make it happen (so far). Shauna remembers her Weird Barbie doll, and her propensity to leave them in compromising positions, while Nicole confesses she was more of a Polly Pocket fan. Also, Olivia has some American Girl dolls for sale, so if you’re interested, send a message, but don’t even try to get Shauna to give up her Beanie Babies. Next, The Junkies talk about the Barbie mo...
Aug 03, 2023•57 min•Season 4Ep. 120
Nicole is addicted to Hot Ones – the show where celebrities try to engage in conversation while consuming ever more deadly hot wings, and Shauna has succumbed to the lure of the second season of And Just Like That . Speaking of needing an intervention, Olivia’s friends stage one to help her with her true crime addiction. Olivia then enlists Shauna and Nicole to help her get The Weeknd removed from any future episodes of The Idol . Then The Junkies confess which animated characters, well, awakene...
Jul 20, 2023•48 min•Season 4Ep. 119
Shauna spoils the end of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (you’re welcome), then practices her “Ah-nold” accent for us all (you’re welcome again). Olivia is still pressuring the other Junkies to join her in the tortuous task of watching The Idol , to no avail, and eases us into the triggering documentary about the triggering Duggar clan. Then Nicole catches us all up on the various Vanderpump Rules scandals and instructs Shauna on how to become a Real Housewife . And speaking of Lily-Rose Depp, because...
Jul 06, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Season 4Ep. 118
Nicole and Olivia both recently traveled (although not together) and they both indulged in documentaries while they were away. Olivia binged docs about weird religous cults and Nicole watched a show about road rage, and that should tell you everything you need to know about them. Shauna, meanwhile, is still a Marvel stan, and finally watched Guardians of the Galaxy 3 . Then she and the other Junkies try to rank the Scream movies, but they discover they are kind of the same movie over and over ag...
Jun 22, 2023•41 min•Season 4Ep. 117
